I have briefly arrived at the conclusion that in the maelstrom of human Becoming, the only truth is Being. But that those enmeshed in the maelstrom cannot connect with Being, as they are immersed in the trials and tribulations of becoming. This may be the most fundamental statement of the problem yet.

I think you're right, Amos. The one essential truth is Being. Being, however, is constantly re-inventing itself into new forms of Being and that's where change comes in...but...it's all happening now, because it always IS now and it always will be! ;-)

Human beings spend much of their time trying to escape the present. They seem to regard it as an obstacle (or a disappointment), and that is the fundamental error in their state of consciousness.

Example: A man stopped at a traffic light, impatiently drumming his fingers on the wheel and muttering, "Change, damn it!"

He isn't comfortable with the present. He refuses to embrace it. He turns his experience of the present into frustration.

Example 2: A girl is uncomfortable with her relationship with her boyfriend, because he isn't perfect...like the movie idols she dreams about. So she plays mind games on him and makes him jealous in order to introduce a little drama into a situation she's basically bored with.

She isn't comfortable with the present. She refuses to embrace it. She refuses to experience love fully in the present, but imagines it occurring in some ideal future...a future which will probably never arrive.

Claudette, who went out with my friend Brian in the 70s was one such. Hell, I've seen thousands of girls like that. I see them in the shopping malls playing their little games. ;-)

As for those I've actually gone out with...hmmm...? Well, I had one that was considerably WORSE than the very common and tawdry type I described in my example. Far worse. The girl I was describing in my example was just regular, run-of-the-mill, it's a very common situation, but she was not directly inspired by anyone I've gone out with myself...just something I've observed around me. And I might just as well have used a guy in that example. They often play mind games on their girlfriends too.

You probably have no idea with what complete equanamity and thorough enjoyment I appreciate the single life, people... ;-) I love it. It leaves me free to quietly be me and do what I enjoy doing. It is in no way disappointing to me nor do I feel in the least deprived by not having a "significant other" at my elbow.

Women friends? Yup! Got several of those, and I like them. Female friends are great. Girlfriend or wife? Nope. And I don't miss them.

That's not to say I might not at some point get back into such a relationship. It's always possible, and I'm open to the possibility if someone came along that I felt that way about and the feeling was mutual. But I'm not looking around for it, and I don't miss it.

You know what loneliness really is? Loneliness is not liking your own company. And the worst kind of loneliness is being lonely IN a relationship or in the middle of a crowded party. That's just bloody awful. I'm not lonely these days, and haven't been in a long time. I think I was last lonely sometime back in the 90s.

I have said, "I'd rather be lonely alone." Made that come true over ten years back. Not that I am lonely now. Absolutely not. Of course, being a male still in ah, er, you know, I still get awful ah, er, you know.

There's one guy down here trying pretty hard to get my attention. He's smart, funny, not too bad to look at. Enough older than me that I see that as a bit of a negative, but he's fit, probably more fit than I am. But when I try to imagine fitting a significant other into my life right now, I just can't do it. Like you two, I am fine on my own, I keep myself entertained, and some of the things that interest me keep me so busy that others might dismiss the amount of attention I spend. My garden for example, is important, organic practices are important, and food preservation is important. I am sure that the Little Red Hen story is true - they'd come around for the cooking and eating part of the garden, but not the digging, planting weeding, hovering over part. Why enter a relationship with someone who will dismiss my interests? I'm the same way about several things that interest me, and until some smart rich good looking hunk who doesn't practice passive-aggression comes along and sweeps me off my feet, I'm fine where I am. :)

I'd much rather be alone, and I am happily so, than to be stuck. Right now, even though there is no living significant other, the three very significant young 'uns take up as much of my active energy as I could wish.

I agree with what Rilke said: "And to speak of solitude again, it becomes clearer and clearer that fundamentally this is nothing that one can choose or refrain from. We are solitary. We can delude ourselves about this and act as if it were not true. That is all. But how much better it is to recognize that we are alone; yes, even to begin from this realization."

As physical beings with outer personalities we are irrevocably solitary. Our very identity as individuals has defined us that way.

Most of the spiritual material I read, though, suggests to me that this is "the illusion of separation", as we are all part of a single Unity in Spirit, and in a very intimate way, but we don't perceive that when we exist here in separate bodies. We perceive ourselves as irrevocably separated from one another. Sex is very pleasurable, because it seems briefly to remove the sense of separation and achieve a short-lived unity.

The only way to permanently end the sense of separation is to achieve a unitive consciousness (known as "enlightenment" or "Self-realization" in the Eastern traditions).

That's something most people never even think about. Nor do they strive for it. Nor does their society encourage them to. Only a few spiritual students here and there strive for it, so it's something that occurs quietly in most societies, gets little notice, and goes unremarked upon most of the time.

When in a unitive consciousness you don't just love "this one" or "that one", you love everyone and everything in an undemanding and unconditional fashion...because you realize that they are you and you are they and there IS no separation.

Individuals who have achieved a Unitive consciousness are very rare. I think I've met one such, and I've met one or two others who were getting close to it. You can tell, because it's wonderful just to be around them. They are very peaceful, positive, full of positive energy and ideas, highly motivated, friendly, lively, relaxed, hardworking, and kind. They render much service unto others.

As with all things, consciousness is a gradient phenomenon, and its degrees of separation or closeness of unity are infinite in number, not discrete states. But even in the state of "normal" separation, two people can build a strong union between them over time that is close to telepathic and highly rewarding. It requires an interesting series of encounters, exchanges, compromises, victories and surrenders which constitute a fine voyage in their own right!

I should note that the dogs are excellent company. When an otherwise sleeping dog does a small tail wag when I walk into the room, that little salute speaks volumes. They are a reflection of things I don't think about often - the fact that my pit bull learned to smile is such a delightful gesture, because I realize I smiled at her enough for her to learn what it means and to figure out how to do it.

So, alone as far as other human occupants, but happily ensconced with two dogs.

My nephew and his pup, Selena, is ensconced in the guest suite. Having driven from Reno both are quite pooped. Tomorrow I may take him up the Legion Hovel and introduce a new ex-Marine to some of the other guys.

The devil wanted a place on earth Sort of a summer home A place to spend his vacation Whenever he wanted to roam.

So he picked out Texas A place both wretched and rough Where the climate was to his liking And the cowboys hardened and tough. He dried up the streams in the canyons And ordered no rain to fall He dried up the lakes in the valleys Then baked and scorched it all. Then over his barren country He transplanted shrubs from hell. The cactus, thistle and prickly pear The climate suited them well.

Now the home was much to his liking But animal life, he had none. So he created crawling creatures That all mankind would shun. First he made the rattlesnake With it's forked poisonous tongue. Taught it to strike and rattle And how to swallow it's young.

Then he made scorpions and lizards And the ugly old horned toad. He placed spiders of every description Under rocks by the side of the road. Then he ordered the sun to shine hotter, Hotter and hotter still. Until even the cactus wilted And the old horned lizard took ill.

Then he gazed on his earthly kingdom As any creator would He chuckled a little up his sleeve And admitted that it was good. 'Twas summer now and Satan lay By a prickly pear to rest. The sweat rolled off his swarthy brow So he took off his coat and vest.

"By Golly," he finally panted, "I did my job too well, I'm going back to where I came from, Texas is hotter than Hell."

"a new ex-Marine to some of the other guys. " since he's visiting, I assume he isn't dead - which means he never made it through boot camp? Those, I am told, are the only conditions under which you have ex-marines.

True of many branches of many armed services of many countries. I very much admire the US Marine Corps for their "Never leave a man behind, dead or alive." committment. True valour and true bravery and true SERVICE to each other. They are indeed to be revered and commended.

I just had a wonderful dinner with some friends who came over from Germany. We laughed and talked, and I could hold my own in German! Tomorrow we're going over to Chesterfield and then to see the geyser in Soda Springs and taste the sparkling waters. (Ugh!)

On another subject: it's hard enough to recognize brief glimpses of truth or pure goodness anywhere, but to give genuine service to another seems like a step along the path. So, deluded or not, there must be something good in it.

There are myriads upon myriads of illusions and delusions available for humans to test themselves or amuse themselves or suffer with. The great secret is that some delusions are preferable to others, and even in a universe full of delusions, it is possible to navigate amongst them. IF you MUST be deluded, at least choose delusions which are preferable.

As to whether we must or not, I suspect it is unavoidable in the human matrix, although it may be optional otherwise.

Well said, Amos! ;-) I think you are absolutely right. We're playing in the 3-D matrix here, and we try to pick the roles that we like better, that's all. The great secret is exactly as you say it is.

Notice how common it is for people to judge other people "evil", according to the roles they have chosen to play? That's part of the delusion too. It's as if we are all dreaming, yet fully believing that the dream is 100% real. (and most people DO believe a dream while it's happening)

Ha! How do you know we didn't dream you up, just to amuse ourselves? You wouldn't have any way of knowing, because we have endowed you with a fairly basic form of artificial intelligence and self-awareness, just a created character in a computer game. You appear to have free will...in fact you DO have free will within the limited parameters OF your character and of the game, because when we wrote you into the program called "Life" we gave you free will within those parameters.

You are allowed fully to do anything you decide to, within the range of your programmed capabilities.

And that, my friend is how life works! For everyone. It's just like a gigantic computer game simulation where all the characters get to explore the possibilities of the basic role they've been given...and they can even re-write the role as they go along by using their free will creatively.

That's what everyone does, in one way or another. They ARE fully in charge of their own destiny, but they have to deal with certain limitations, that's all. Generally they behave in rather predictable patterns. Occasionally you get one who really KNOWS how to make use of his or her free will, and then some profound things can happen.

No, it is clear, given the rampant scathing skepticism around here, that not everyone buys into Rapparree's assertion that it was he who Authored Us All. Just look, for example, and the long chain of scathing condescension, criticism, and derogation some of us have levied on his weary person in our fathomless ingratitude. One is forced to wonder, once the first avalanche of guilt and self-abnegation clears away, why a Cosmic Author suh as Himself would author such a furbelow as a carping critic from California, a gaunt and gumptionless granola gummer with the sand of a seaturtle's spineless spittle? Why would He, the all and powerful One, generate such fractious feeble-minded febrile frivolity in his Flawless Space, and have such minor minions behave in such jackanapes manner, tossing sarcasm, scurrilous and scrofulous condemnation and barbarian barbs at his very Raiment of Perfection?

And yet it cannot be question that such is the case.

One can only conclude that He, the One, the All-Powerful, the Author of Us All, is himself tormented by a self-esteem worn a bit ragged along its very seams with self-doubt, a worrisome deep streak of abnegation of self-worth, a smidgen of Self Shaming Sneers and Snarkery riddling the gigantic hollows of his vast Mentallity, like a flock of vipers nested in the basement underpinnings of a giant Temple.

In my temporary and capriciously disingenuous pose as an independent voice, I invite your thoughts on this most profound and cosmic paradox, to know if anyone sees how it might, itself, be paradoctored.

There once was a student called Patrick who went by the name DrugCrazed on a folk forum called Mudcat. One day, Drug saw the famous Mother Of All BS thread but ignored it, since it wasn't bothering him. Then, after a few months, the famous thread appeared again and again. Drug was fascinated by such a thread title, but decided to leave it be again. Finally, in the 8th month of the year 2011 the naive Drug gave in and started to read the whole thread.

"Wow", said Drug "This is an interesting idea, surely one thread for all the BS on Mudcat would be very useful". He then continued reading. After a while, he glanced at the URL and nearly fell over. "Hang on, 41600 messages? Sweet Mary of Joseph, no wonder it took so long to get". Such a large number scared the young Drug and he ran to the hills, and decided to avoid the thread in future.

Nah. If I had them things I'd have to have y'all worship and praise me, which ain't the case at all. Shucks, I don't even ask for a tithe or your first-born or anything like that. Of course, if you do feel like sending money I won't refuse it, but it's not required.

More Verses:

Trained to fly the wide world o'er To knock down roofs and kick in doors Leaving presents on the ground Santa's hay gives scours all around.

Knee-deep in poop a young child stands Searching for presents with its hands An unneeded job, if Claus would spend Some hoarded cash on reindeer Depends.